Latest / Digestive Health Answers with Dr. Kyle Barnett / GI Doctor Reveals: 5 Early Warning Signs of Colon Cancer You Should NEVER Ignore

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GI Doctor Reveals: 5 Early Warning Signs of Colon Cancer You Should NEVER Ignore · Digestive Health Answers with Dr. Kyle Barnett

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: I've had patients see signs of colon cancer and put off getting checked because they thought they knew what was causing them.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: By the time they came in, we found something more serious than they expected.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want you making that same mistake.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Dr.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Kyle Barnett, a board certified gastroenterologist, and I've been in practice for 32 years.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: There are five warning signs I want you to recognize, including a couple you probably won't connect to your colon.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's one symptom people can notice again and again without ever making an appointment.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: They've already decided what's causing it.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: So each time it happens, they give themselves the same explanation.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, blood you keep blaming on hemorrhoids.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Seeing blood when you go to the bathroom should get your attention, but a lot of people tend to say, ah, it's probably just hemorrhoids.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: And it might be.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: But before you settle on that, has anybody actually checked?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: People will see blood occasionally and think, yeah, that happens sometimes, or they've had hemorrhoids before, so they assume that's what's bleeding.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: It stops, they forget about it, and when it happens again, they give themselves the same answer.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen patients do that and then come in and find out there's something more serious going on.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's what concerns me.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: They saw the blood, they just thought they knew why it was there.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And you can have hemorrhoids and something else in the same time.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Having one doesn't rule out the other.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're seeing blood, even occasionally get it evaluated.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to wait until there's more of it or until it hurts.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: And the fact that it stopped doesn't tell me what caused it.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: I know people don't particularly want to make this appointment.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: You'd probably rather tell the receptionist almost anything else.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: But we deal with this every day.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're not going to surprise us and you're not going to embarrass me.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us why you're seeing so we can find out where it's coming from.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sometimes there's no blood getting your attention, but just start noticing that going to the bathroom has become a whole production.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, your bathroom habits have changed.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: You used to go, get it over with, and get on with your day.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now you're thinking about it all the time.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Will there be a bathroom nearby?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Do you need to take something so you can go to the bathroom?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Are you getting halfway through an errand and have to run home?
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: A lasting change in your bowel habits is another warning sign of colon cancer.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: That could be constipation, diarrhea, going more often, or feeling like you need to go even though you just did.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm looking for is something different from your usual pattern that keeps happening.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Some people have always dealt with constipation.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Other people have had more sensitive stomach.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're saying this isn't how it used to be and it isn't settling down, don't just accept it.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, one meal can give you a rough afternoon.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: You eat something, your stomach objects, and then you decide that the restaurant doesn't need any more of your money.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're still having problems weeks later, we can't keep blaming that sandwich.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: A growth in the colon can change how stool moves through it.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: You won't be able to tell that's the cause on your own, but you can notice your usual routine has changed.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I need you to tell me.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: When did it start?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: What's different?
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Is it happening most days?
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're having pain too, don't leave that part out.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, stomach pain that won't go away.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's only so long you can keep saying, well, maybe it was something I ate, especially when you've eaten 20 different things since it started.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: If your stomach keeps hurting or you keep getting cramps that won't settle down, that needs a look.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Ongoing abdominal pain is another sign we watch for with colon cancer.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: You may have tried changing what you eat.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe something from the drugstore helps for a while, and then the pain comes back, and you're trying to figure out what to do next.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't have to be in terrible pain for it to matter.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: If it's happening often enough that you're avoiding meals, sleeping poorly, or changing your plan, it's already causing you trouble.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you've also noted blood or a change in your bowel habits, those could all be connected.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people decide they're separate problems.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: The pain is something I ate and the blood is my hemorrhoids.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe, but I'd like to hear about both before we decide.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: So come in and tell us where it hurts, how long it's been going on, and what else you've noticed.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to exhaust every option.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, these first three signs are things you'd probably expect a digestive doctor to ask about.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: The next one might strike you as not a problem at all.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, you're losing weight without trying.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Your clothes are getting looser, and you haven't had to give up any dessert.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: You're probably not thinking, I better call somebody about this.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: That you weren't trying to lose weight and it keeps coming off.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Why is that?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Weight loss without trying can be a sign of a cancer, even a colon cancer.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And there are a couple of things I'd want to ask you about.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, are you eating the same as you always have, but still losing weight?
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Or have you started eating less because your stomach bothers you or you don't have much of an appetite?
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: You might hear that second one and think, well, that explains it.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm eating less.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: But we still need to know why your stomach is bothering you or why your appetite changed.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: So either way, bring it up with your doctor.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us what you've noticed, roughly how much weight you've lost, and how long.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need an exact record of every pound.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not trying to spoil anybody's excitement about fitting into their old genes.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: I just don't want you overlooking something because for once the scale is giving you a number you like.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: The last sign is a little different.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: You may know you don't feel right, but never think to connect it to your colon.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: So number five, you're worn out and you don't know why.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: You're getting sleep, but you're still tired.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: You do something you've done a hundred times before and now it wears you out.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's easy to say, well, I'm getting older.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: We can blame quite a bit on that, sometimes a little bit too much.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: But if there's a change for you, we need to know what's happening.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you may be thinking, what does being tired have to do with my colon?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: One possibility is that you're losing blood without seeing it.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: A colon cancer can bleed slowly.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: There may not be enough visible blood for you to notice in the toilet, but over time, that loss can make you anemic.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: That means you don't have enough healthy red blood cells carrying oxygen through your body.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can feel tired or weak because of it.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes a blood test finds a clue.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: You might find out you have anemia or low iron, and now we need to investigate what caused it.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Being tired doesn't automatically mean you have cancer, but don't keep brushing off a change in your energy, especially if you've been having some of these other problems as well.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Tell your doctor about all of it.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to decide what's connected before the appointment.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: The last thing, you're past due for screening.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: And there's one more thing that I want you to think about.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: For people at average risk, that age of screening is now 45, not 50.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't heard about the change, you're not the only one.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Recently I scoped a friend of mine when he was 50.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: He thought that's when he was supposed to start, so he hadn't gotten it done before then.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't having any symptoms, no bleeding sending him in, no stomach pain making him call, but unfortunately, we found an early colon cancer.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't knowingly ignore symptoms.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't realize he was already five years past the recommended starting age.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're waiting for something to feel wrong before you make the appointment, don't.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Screening is meant to find problems before they give you that warning.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: A family history of colon cancer or colon polyps can mean you need to start sooner.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: So tell your doctor about that.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're having symptoms, you don't wait until 45.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm seeing people in their 30s and early 40s with colon cancer.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: These symptoms need to be evaluated when they happen.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: If something in that list sounds familiar, call your doctor.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need all five signs, and you don't need to be convinced it's cancer.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: We'd much rather find it another explanation.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: But let's find it instead of having you spend another few months wondering or telling yourself it's nothing.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: And if you feel fine but you're due for screening, get it scheduled.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, no obvious symptoms doesn't mean nothing is going on.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: With the colonoscopy, we can find and remove polyps, which are growths that can turn into cancer.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: We have an opportunity to get those out before that happens.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in the Salt Lake City area or surrounding area, call our office.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us what you've noticed or ask whether you're due.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: We can help you figure out the next step.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if your bleeding has been checked and it's only hemorrhoids, watch my video about treating them.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's a quick office procedure, and it may be a whole lot simpler than the treatment you've been imagining.